Reunited
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: A Code Lyoko fanfic not involving XANA for once. It's Parent's Day at Kadic Academy again and the mood couldn't be happier. Another milestone event occurs soon after this one JeanPierre's 40th birthday !


Reunited

Note: A Code Lyoko fan-fiction not focused on Lyoko, nor on XANA but on Parent's Day at Kadic. Every year, Kadic holds a day for students to reunite with their parents once again, sort of like a mini-reunion. Odd's father is one of the few that can't make it since he broke his ankle during a bad fall on a mountain bike trip, but he sends his son his regards. Sissi mock complains that she gets to see her father every day, unlike everyone else who get to see their parents once a year. Her father thinks she is being serious, but she points out to him she is merely joking.

Chapter 1—Receiving the Word

Spring break had come to a close and Easter was fast approaching. It was around this time of year that Kadic had an official "Parent's Day" instated by ruling of the faculty years ago when students had written suggestions to reunite with their parents, whether they were biological or adoptive. Since 1995, this had been a hallowed tradition and the students would be looking forward to it again. All of the students had gotten letters from their parents saying if they could or couldn't come. Odd was saddened his father couldn't make it because of an accident he had become subject to while mountain biking, but he had sent a photo and some coins from Italy to tell him he would be with him in some small way. Odd was glad his mother could come though. Ulrich wasn't too keen on seeing his father again, but so long as his mother was by his side, he wouldn't be so tough. Aelita's father, Franz was coming; Taelia's parents, Yumi's mom, dad and brother, and even the faculties' parents were coming to the event.

Jean-Pierre meant this would mean more hours duerves to be served during the party to welcome the parents to Kadic as well as a full-course meal and plenty of cakes to go around.

The only parent (in the Delmas family, at least) that couldn't attend physically was young Elisabeth's mother, who died in a horrific car crash when Sissi was five-years-old. Sissi knew that her mother Aimee would be with her in spirit, which was all that truly mattered. Before the party began she complained (all in fun) to her father how everyone always got to see their parents every year but she had to see him every day.

"If that's the case then, you can stay in your room if you like.", Jean-Pierre said, not really getting that she was kidding.

"Dad, don't you know when I'm joking ?! Seriously. Even I can be funny when I want to be.", Elisabeth said, smiling gregariously. Sissi's personality had certainly changed since she had befriended Jeramie and the others. Jean-Pierre was simply getting used to the fact that his daughter was a deeper, more diverse person than he ever imagined.

As the parents and children chatted around the tables, the whole gymnasium was filled with laughter and jocularity. The mood was even brighter than the usual mixers they had, which were always jovial, but there was something to be said about the relationship between a parent and their child or children. The unconditional love a parent bared could be a bane, but it was always a blessing since nobody else on earth could love another human being so much as a parent loves their child. And of all people, Sissi could see that in her father's eyes as they watched all of the events unfold.

Jim suddenly announced to newcomers that had never been to Kadic that he and Susanne would be giving a guided tour soon after luncheon had finished. Of course, the school's band and choir had decided to unexpectedly treat them all to music from the 50's, 60's and 70's. It was quite impressive, considering they had done their own choreography and each step and kick was timed well with the rhythm. It all looked very professional, and everyone was awe-struck. Needless to say, Emily, Ziva and Zachary were the main stars of the show but were humble and modest when receiving their praise. They knew it wouldn't be a true program if the rest of the choir and band hadn't been involved. And when all was said and done, they were enervated, but it was a relief to have been received well by their audience. It was the most gratifying sensation known to humankind.

Chapter 2—Jim and Susanne's Guided Tour

Sam's parents were one of the new guests to Kadic, as well as William's and of course Taelia's. They hadn't even been to France and just coming in from Paris, they were still feeling the affects of jet lag. It didn't bother them all that much, since they were pleased simply to see their own children again. Like the other new guests, they were astonished at how large Kadic was and what renovations and improvements had been made since the last few years. Their technology was far better than most academies, and their planetarium was state of the art. It was evident that this academy far exceeded any of their expectations. Not only were the students learning their core curriculum, but they were learning about the outside world as well.

Little did Sam or William's parents know that they were fighting to keep the world safe. Many of the parents, as well as the students had no clue they had Warriors among them, but the secret would remain hidden so long as the Warriors themselves kept their identities hidden within their own "circle" as they called it. Sure, many students had their own beliefs on who the Warriors were but no one suspected that some of the peers and two of their loved and respected teachers where these special superheroes.

As the tour ended, parents were encouraged to ask questions. Most of the questions concerned the history of the academy, while others concerned the newer programs that the academy had been offering such as Silat courses and self defense.

"Why do you think self-defense is so important ?", one of the parents questioned, inquisitively. His son had been taking Silat and his coordination had improved and he had gained a little muscle as well as confidence and stamina.

"It's integral, not just important. I believe the students should feel empowered as well as independent. Martial arts is about discipline, fairness and honor. All of these elements, I believe, keep the students grounded and allow them to make the right decisions as they live their lives day to day.", Jim responded.

"Absolutely, I agree. And I can see it's helping the students get their daily exercise.", the student's mother added, patting him unknowingly on the head. The young multiracial boy seemed embarrassed but he didn't mind getting some affection from his mother. After all, like the other students, he hadn't seen her for a year and similarly, he missed both of his parents during the school year. Of course, like many students, he kept in touch with them, but it just wasn't the same as Parent's Day; i.e., seeing your parents in the flesh.

Chapter 3—Coup De Gras

The rest of the guided tour took about 3 hours until parents and their students returned for a feast in the cafeteria. The cafeteria looked even more lively than usual with all of its colorful décor and a message that read "Welcome Parents" in languages from all around the world. It was quite touching that Rosa herself had made all of that possible. It proved that she could have a soft heart. Truth be told she was living vicariously through the students. They were her extended family since her mother and father were no longer living, but her relatives came to parent's day to see how she was doing. She didn't have any children of her own but she considered the children at Kadic like her own. After all, she did care for them by feeding them every day.

It was time for Jean-Pierre to give his usual closing speech before the parents would be leaving had come. He wanted them to remember their experience here and make it special, so he simply spoke from the heart. He concluded that he hoped Kadic Academy would be standing for years to come in the future for those who would attend it. He let everyone know that there was memorabilia to take home that had been furnished by the school (thanks to the Greene trial long ago) that the parents could keep. The parents loathed in having to leave their beloved children behind, but all good things had to come to an end.

Elisabeth was pleased her father had become so generous in his old age. He thought that soon the Academy should really have its own gift shop, and she would be responsible for its logo and mascot. Of course, the Gryphon was her perfect idea and she told her father she would work on it right away. She had to give herself a little extra thought to what the logo would be. Jean-Pierre told her she didn't have to worry about it right away since it would be another year until the school had enough funding for that kind of a project. She would "sleep on it" for the time being, and an idea would come to her by the next morning.

Chapter 4—Tearful Goodbyes

Neither the students nor their parents wished to say their farewells and return home, but it was a necessary evil to be dealt with. Most of the children were crying before saying farewell to their parents, but it wasn't a farewell that would last forever. They would return the same time next year. Even those with extended families felt the sting of departure but they felt blessed to have such caring parents when others didn't have such a luxury.

Each student grieved differently as they watched their parents board their bus for the airport. Taelia was one of the few, like William and Ulrich, who didn't weep profusely as she watched her parents leave. Crying simply didn't come naturally to her, but didn't mean she didn't mourn. Inwardly, she was sad and very thoughtful. She didn't say anything the rest of the night and kept herself busy reading books. William was pensive as well and kept himself occupied with video games playing against Ulrich. It was their escape mechanism, their way of coping through difficult times.

Many of the students had been able to go to sleep without trouble, but Aelita was missing her father terribly. She usually didn't experience sadness often, but it had hit her unexpectedly and she had been crying quite a bit. Unable to sleep, she tossed about fitfully wondering why it was so hard just to have a quiet moment. Yet, her mind was full of activity, unable to become serene. She sighed harshly, placing her hands under her chin. Just then, Jim walked into the room. It was as if Mr. Morales had a sixth sense. He always knew the right time to walk in the door and survey the surroundings.

"Can't sleep ?", he asked, stating the obvious.

"No, oddly I cannot, Jim. I don't know what could be wrong.", Aelita said, laughing slightly. It had been a while since she had laughed after crying so much since Franz had returned to his home far away in the countryside.

"I already know the answer to your problem, dear. You miss your papa. It's written all over your face.", Jim said, approaching the young lady sitting down in a chair he had turned the opposite direction. He faced her, ruffling her hair playfully as he usually did.

"I didn't think I would be that transparent.", Aelita said, sighing a bit.

"Don't let it get you down. You're not he only one who feels this way. Why, even though I know mom and dad aren't too far away, it doesn't mean I don't miss them. I hear from them by email and the post, but it's just not the same as seeing them in person. But you know what ?", Jim said, stroking the girl's chin, causing her to smile.

"What's that ?", she said, giggling a bit since she was ticklish under the chin.

"You have a family here. You have me, Susanne, Emily and all the rest of the gang.

So really, you're never alone. I know sometimes we can forget. I suppose even Lyokians are subject to forgetfulness as well.", Jim said, with a gentle grin upon his face. He noticed her eyes were beginning to become heavy just by listening to the melodious tone of his voice. He pulled the covers under her chin and kissed her forehead.

"Sometimes we can, Jim. Thanks for talking to me. Your words always help.", Aelita said, before yawning and falling asleep. Jim sneaked out of her room as quietly as he could.

He checked on the rest of the children before he got some shut eye himself.

Chapter 5—Another Milestone

A couple of weeks had passed and plans had already been set in motion to start building the Gryphon Gift Shop. The logo was a G shaped like a griffin with a present in his talon soaring over the words "Gryphon Gift Shop". The shop wouldn't be open for a year, but the pre-planning stage had been set. While this was going on, Jean-Pierre was getting close to his 40th birthday.

The only ones who had remembered were Elisabeth, the Moraleses and some of the faculty.

"We have to do something BIG for dad !", Elisabeth told her friends out in the field as if this was a big covert operation.

"What do you have in mind, my dear ?", Odd questioned, becoming inquisitive.

"That's my problem, Odd ! I've incorporated all of _you guys_ to help me out. Duh !", Sissi retorted, playfully.

"Oh, dude. That's not good. Well, anyone have any thoughts ? Because I certainly don't !", Odd said, looking a bit dejected that he didn't have any plans for Jean-Pierre's big 40th birthday. But the friends knew that if they started brainstorming they would develop a plan for the best, most unforgettable party in the history of humankind.

After a couple of days had passed, the children had thought of something big for the birthday of Elisabeth's father. They made him a birthday cake in Jim's house, decorated by everyone. It even had an edible image of the entire class on the top, as well as 40 candles in many different colors. The cake was made of chocolate and vanilla and almost too gorgeous to eat. A scrapbook full of memories from the past and present had been assembled by Sissi and her friends was one of the many gifts that they were going to give to Jean once the party was set in motion.

Emily thought the party would work well set up in library. She heard from Jim that sometimes when he wanted to be alone and away from work, Jean would often retreat to the library to work on crosswords, jigsaw puzzles, Sudoku or read the latest National Geographic magazine. It was a little known fact that he adored National Geographic and sometimes sneaked magazines into his office. He would return them to the library, but he often took many out at a time just so he could lose himself in a story and pretend like he was in another place, watching animals in their natural habitat. Oddly, he had wanted to take a safari at some point and time in his life, and little did he know, a faux safari was about to come to him.

Before Jean-Pierre knew what was going on, he had been blindfolded and he was being led somewhere. At first he felt a bit ill-at-ease with being taken away from his work so forcefully, but when he heard the voices whispering and laughing behind him, he figured this wasn't any normal or conventional trip.

By the time the blindfold came off, everyone yelled "surprise" and "happy birthday, Jean". Jean was delighted at everything he saw. The library had been decorated to resemble the jungles and deserts of Africa, complete with beautiful photographs that came straight from the country itself. There were presents next to Jean's cake, lined up in differing sizes, and colors. Last but not least, there was a fountain of punch just to put the finishing touch on an already extravagant event. Jean couldn't remember the last time he had experienced a party like this one before.

"How did you know it was my birthday ?", Jean questioned, wondering who was responsible for everything.

"Actually I was snooping around. Please forgive me sir. But a birthday is important. I wouldn't want you to feel you had been forgotten despite everything that's been going on in the school's schedule.", Jim confessed.

"I had a feeling it was you, James. But thank you. This is by far, the best birthday I have had in years. Thank you, and especially thanks to all of you for putting so much hard work into this celebration.", Jean-Pierre complimented. It was then the festivities began. Everyone was having the time of their lives and even the principal was acting like a big kid. Sissi didn't know her father had that kind of playful energy left in him considering he had been hiding the pain of Aimee's death deep within his heart. It seemed now he had been able to heal, and allow himself to come out of his shell and allowed himself to be a bit silly. He might have turned 40 on this day, but he wasn't about to let go of his inner child.

Soon, though, everyone was exhausted. After the decorations had been cleaned up, night soon fell, and it was bedtime for the children and faculty. All the students and teachers had quickly fallen asleep, but before Sissi went to bed she was greeted by her father, who met her at the door of her dormitory.

"I just wanted to thank you personally, dear. Whatever possessed you to have such a tremendous party ?", Jean questioned, still a bit overwhelmed by all of the effort and love that had been put into the celebration.

"What else can I say dad ? It's love. No one should ever have to be alone during their birthday, let alone forgotten.", Sissi said. Her father did something he hadn't done for quite some time. He embraced her gently, holding her for quite some time. She didn't know what to think or do, since she hadn't been held by him that way since she was a little girl. It was pleasant though, hearing her father breathing softly soothed her.

"I love you, honey. Thank you so much. I will never forget this. You're my special girl, my lovely princess and my closest friend.", Jean said, trying not to wax saccharine. He kissed his daughter goodnight, thanking her for the third and final time, and left her dormitory to return home and receive some much-needed sleep.

Epilogue 

Since Parent's Day and Jean's milestone birthday party, Kadic Academy had become rather quiet. There really wasn't much activity occurring other than the students studying for upcoming quizzes and tests. They had to be prepared since it seemed most of the teachers were in a "pop quiz" kind of mood. Albeit the students and faculty were busy with homework and tests, they had recently started another new program that was inspired by the students when they had showed so much love and support for their principal. It was a care package program. Every so often, the students would receive care packages from their parents to let them know they were thought of, they were loved and most importantly, that they hadn't been forgotten. He even used his daughter's own words "Because I love you and you're not forgotten", which spoke volumes to the students receiving the care packages. The money brought in funds for the building of the gift shop and a bigger, better bookstore where students could buy all of their supplies without having to travel too far away from campus. The construction and building of the Gryphon Gift Shop and the refurbishing of the bookstore was done a lot faster and earlier than everyone had expected but it really gave the school a finished touch. It definitely put the school on the map since other schools in the area didn't have a gift shop or bookstore.

After the excitement had settled down from the initial opening of the Gryphon Gift Shop as well as the refurbished bookstore, life had resumed a steady pace. It was still tranquil considering all the tests and homework students were inundated with. Yet, once the day was over and the students started returning to their dormitories for the night, the air was filled with lively chatter and laughter and everyone went to bed. It wouldn't be long until Parent's Day had returned to the campus, and again it would be another happy, pleasant time for all. It was good to have a break with festal occasions such as that one. It reminded all of them that they were all special in their own way and that no matter where they were; they were a part of the Kadic Gryphon Family and would always remain as such.

The End


End file.
